Magnetic disk drives include a rotating disk for storing information in small magnetized domains strategically located on the disk surface. A magnetic read/write head is typically provided as part of a “head slider” and positioned in close proximity to the rotating disk for creating and reading the magnetic domains. The head slider is supported and properly oriented in relationship to the disk by a head suspension assembly. As the disk in the storage device rotates beneath the head slider and head suspension, the air above the disk similarly rotates, thus creating an air bearing which acts with an aerodynamic design of the head slider to create a lift force on the head slider. The lift force is counteracted by the head suspension.
Typical head suspensions include a load beam and a flexure. The load beam normally includes, in part, a proximal mounting region for mounting the load beam to an actuator arm of the disk drive, and a rigid distal region to which the flexure can be mounted for supporting the head slider. The rigid region of the load beam also typically includes stiffening rails. The flexure can be either integral with the load beam or formed as a separate piece which is rigidly mounted on the load beam using conventional approaches such as spot welds. The flexure includes a slider receiving member or tongue to which the head slider is mounted, and is designed such that the tongue is resiliently moveable with respect to the remainder of the flexure in response to the aerodynamic forces generated by the air bearing.
In certain types of flexures, the tongue can pivot about a load point provided in either the load beam or the slider mounting region itself. Such load points commonly include a dimple, which provides clearance between the flexure tongue and the load beam and serves as a pivot point about which the head slider can pitch and/or roll in response to the aerodynamic forces generated by the air bearing. The load point dimple thus should provide sufficient clearance between the slider mounting tongue and the load beam to accommodate the pitch/roll motion of the tongue and slider.
The slider is typically positioned below the lower surface of the load beam. Thus, the overall height of the head suspension is the sum of the thicknesses of the slider, the tongue, and the dimple, and the height of the stiffening rails of the load beam. At the same time, however, miniaturization trends in magnetic disk drives require smaller and thinner head suspensions.
Thus, there is a need for disk drive head suspension having a reduced height and yet sufficient stiffness to counteract aerodynamic forces produced by the rotating disk.